Knockdown sectional case.



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0. B. ROWLETTE.

KNOCKDOWN SECTIONAL CASE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1911.

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'0. B. ROWLETTE. KNoGKDoWN SBGTIONAL CASE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.14, 1911.

Patented July 15, 1913.

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OLIVER B. ROWLETTE, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

KNOGKDOWN SECTIONAL CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Application ined August 14, 1911. 'semi No. 644,025.

Z. all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER B.-.Rowr.s'1'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Sectional Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to knockdown lsectional cases, and its principal object is to provide such a case having improved means for detachably connecting its members together and an improved door mechanism: this, and other objects hereinafter appearing,^are attained by, and my invention nds a preferable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a case, suitable for books, etc., and embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the upper part of the same, on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. The other figures are enlarged detail views, viz.: Fig. 311s a front edge view of the upper portion of one of the section ends and part of its door; Fig. 4 is a like view of the end portion of one'of the shelves; Fig. 5 is an end view ofthe upper portion of one of the doors; Fig. 6 is an inside view of the upper part of one of the section ends illustrating, attached thereto, devices whereby the shelves are connected therewith, and the track on which the door moves; Fig. 7 shows a blank which is bent to form said device and track; Fig. 8 is an end view of said blankwhen so bent; Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of part of said dei vice on line 9 9 of Fig. 3; Fig. 1o is a plan view of the dowel connection between adjoining section ends; Fig. 11 is a vertical section of the same on line 11-11 of Fig.

l10; Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the device attached tothe shelves for connecting the samewith the section ends; Fig. 13 is a side view of the same; Fig. 14 is a sectional view. of the same on line 14-14 of Fig. 12; and Fig. 15 is a like view of the saine on line 15-15 of Fig. 12.

The several sections or units of my case have endsl and backs 2: the shelf 3 is common to adjoining sections, formin the topv of the lower and the bottomA o? the upper, and is the principal part which detachably holds the case together. For this purpose it is provided with coupling members 4 engaging coperating coupling mem- .rubbing or engaging the shelf above.

bers 5 with which tl1e-.section ends 1 are provided on their inner sides near their upper en ds: these coupling members 5 are o sheet metal, and a corresponding pair are fastened .as by screws 6 and v7, one to each end 1 of a section. The upper portion 8.of such lmembers is in any suitable manner spaced away from the side of the section end so as to form a recess 9 between the section end and such upper portion. This recess may be provided by the construction shown in Fig. 3. A screw hole through the member 5 for the screw 6 may be formed with depressedwalls as particularly shown in Fig. 9, whereby a countersink for the screw is provided as well as a filler portion 10 between the coupling member and the' section end. The coupling members 4 are of sheet metal, and a corresponding pair are fastened, as by screws 11, one at each end of a shelf. These coupling members are formed as shown bending a sheet of 12, adapted to engage vor. lie against the end edge of the shelf, a supporting flange 13 at right angles thereto and a downwardly extending flange or hook portion 14 adapted to engage with the portion 8 of the coupling member 5 by entering the recess 9, and to thus securely but detachably connect the section ends 'and the shelf together. Suitable gaps 15 in the flange 14 admit the screws 6 and ller portions 10.

.The doors 16 are in Figs. 12, 13, etc., by

provided at each end with a supporting roller 17. pivoted on a bracket 18 on the inside of the door and toward its upper edge. In opening and closing the door, its inner side near the doors ends travels on a track formed by a horizontal liange 19 on the member 5. This flange has .a downwardly curved forward end 20, as shown in Fig. 6, forming a stop for the roller and preventing its disengagement from the track, thus supporting and holding the door in place when in its closed position. The roller is positioned a suiiicient distance below the upper edge 21 of the door, and near enough the doors inner side, that the door shall tra-vel inside the case in and beneath the shelf,-

metal to form a portion an approximately horizontal line in opening and closing, and is thus prevented from track or flange 19 may bev interrupted to form a gap 22 just to the rear of the curved port1on 20, through which gap the rollers The may pass; and thus the doors may be placed in position after the section ends are connected by the shelves. The coupling member 5 including the track 19 may be formed from a sheet metal blank 23 in which the square aperture 24 is cut to provide for the gap 22: the blank is now bent on the dotted line 25 which forms the edge of the track, and then in the opposite direction on the dotted lines 26, whereupon the blank assumes in vertical section the shape shown in Fig. 8: the extension 27 is now bent to form the curved portion 20. Suitable .vertical grooves 28 on the inside of the section ends and near their rear edges, and registering horizontal grooves 29 in the upper and lower sides of the shelves near their rear edges, detachably receive the four edges of the backs 2: and dowels 30 in one section end adapted to enter slots 31 in the ad] oin-l ing section end serve to detachably connect such adjoining ends: these slots may be elongated as particularly shown in Fi s. 10 and 11 in the direction toward the front and back of the case to allow for any unequal shrinking or expansion of the wooden section ends. Ball bearings 32 may be provided as shown to minimize the friction in opening and closing the doors: and suitable tops 33y and bases 34 may be added as shown.

It will be seen that the couplingV devices whereby the section ends and the shelf are connected are located entirely between the inner sides of such section ends, no part of such coupling devices extending between the abutting ends of adjoining section ends.

Not confining myself to the details of construction shown and described, I'claim:

l. A track for the door of a knockdown sectional case formed from a metal plate 23 having an aperture 24 therethrough and an 'extension 27, by bending said plate on the line 25 and oppositely on the lines 26 and then bending the extension downwardly and backwardly to form a stop, substantially as described.

2. A track for the door of a knockdown sectional case formed from a metal plate 23 having an aperture 24 therethrough, by bending said ,plate on the line 25 and oppositely on the lines 26, substantially as described.

3. A track for the door of a knockdown sectional case formed from a metal plate 23 havir an extension 27 by bending said platt on the line 25 and oppositely on the lines 26, and then bending the extension downwardly and backwardly to form a stop, substantially as described.

4. In a knockdown sectional case, a section end having a coupling member comprising a metallic plate spaced away from the inner side of said end and having a countersunk depressed portion" pierced for att-aching means and forminga ller port-ion to space said flange away from the section end, and a shelf having a coupling member adapted to detachably engage said plate to couple the shelf and the sect-ion end 'together and support the shelf by the section end.

5. In a knockdown sectional case, a sec# tion end provided on its inner side with a metallic plate having a coupling member and having also a horizontal track, a door adapted to travel horizontally on said track and in one position to be swung, and a shelf having a coupling member adapted to detachably engage the first mentioned coupling member to couple the shelf and the section end together and support the shelf by the section end. Y

6. In a knockdown sectional case, a section end having o-n its inner side a coupling member comprising a metallic plate spaced away from theI inner side of said end, a shelf provided with a metallic coupling member adapted to detachably engage said plate to couple the shelf and section end together and support the shelf by the section end, said metallic plate having a horizontal track with a gap therethrough and a stop, and a door adapted to travel on the upper side of said track and having a member adapted to pass through said gap and to engage the under side of said track and adapted to permit the door to swing when said member engages the stop.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in' presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER B. ROWLETTE.

Witnesses MARY S. 'IooKER, MARY SCHULTE. 

